Volvo offers free drive in London

Swedish car manufacturer Volvo has treated its customers to a free chauffeur service in its low-emission DRIVe models after new rules were unveiled for the congestion charge in London.

The Greener Vehicle Discount (GVD) for the capital's Congestion Charge zone now includes all Euro 5 compliant cars with CO2 emissions under 100g/km, saving £10 every day for the owners of such cars who have to drive into London.

People who had appointments to keep in the Congestion Charge zone were given a free drive in Volvo's V50 sportswagon, C30 hatchback or S40 saloon - all of which have CO2 emissions of 99g/km and are eligible for the GVD.

Peter Rask, regional president of Volvo Car UK, said: "Through our ongoing Emissions Equality campaign, Volvo has been instrumental in persuading the Mayor to change the Congestion Charge rules and create a level playing field for all vehicles regardless of powertrain.

"The new system addresses issues with the old pricing structure, which granted automatic exemption to all hybrid vehicles, despite the fact that certain models had higher emissions than some non-qualifying petrol or diesel powered models."